Romelu Lukaku has revealed what Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel told the squad to do at half-time against Zenit St Petersburg.
Chelsea scraped a narrow 1-0 win over the Russian side to begin Group H with three points to climb into second behind Juventus after gameweek one.
Lukaku was the difference for Chelsea. He met a Cesar Azpilicueta cross in the 69th minute at the back post to head into the near corner to wake the home crowd up from a dull affair in west London on Tuesday night.
The first-half was frustrating from Chelsea’s point of view; too slow, off the pace. Chelsea went in at the break needing ideas, needing a new lease of life, a message from the boss.
That’s exactly what Tuchel gave them, new instructions. He put his ideas across to the side to try to unlock the Zenit defence and eventually they worked.
Lukaku revealed what the German had told them during the interval after the game.
What Romelu Lukaku said
“A little bit of movement in the middle of the pitch, try to create chances through me holding the ball and putting players or through crosses,” Lukaku revealed on what Tuchel told the Blues in the dressing room at half-time.
“That’s what we did and eventually we scored a goal from that.”
What else did Lukaku say?
The 28-year-old was in high spirits after scoring the winning goal at Stamford Bridge.
He added: “It feels really good. I’m really happy with the win. We kept the game under control. We have to keep growing.I think today was a better performance than on the weekend. I’m really happy with the win and really happy with the goal.”
More Chelsea vs Zenit St Petersburg Coverage
- The Chelsea players ratings from the narrow 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge
- Five things we learned as Chelsea kicked off their 2021/22 Champions League campaign with a win
- Thomas Tuchel’s honest verdict following Group H opener win vs Zenit
Follow Absolute Chelsea on: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube